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Had another enjoyable visit to the Oval Tavern in Croydon yesterday. This is my favourite gig because the interval music is always great to listen to. It’s a vinyl freak’s delight and although I’m not one (a delight, I mean) I really do enjoy Graeme’s selection. Great blues and a great audience. Had a chat with John O’Leary, who admitted that his was an Irish name and that he actually had a Paddy’s night gig, as distinct from my St Patrick’s evening blues gig at the King’s Head. I’m not sure whether John said he was going to be doing “Danny Boy”, but I certainly am not.

Have decided to go and annoy the Dan Smith Band who are playing tonight at the Grand Junction Arms in Acton Lane. Jon T-Bone Taylor and Jim Mercer are in the band so it’s alright to get personal. The gig is a jazz gig on Sundays but they are trying blues on Thusday nights. We’re there next week and I did show up there for a while last week, where I bumped into one of my guitarists, Al Vincent, also checking the place out. It seems that some people had understood it to be a jam, but that was not so. I believe a couple of harp players did sit in with the band, which also included T-Bone, who is booking the bands there.

Having finally decided to go to the Cyril Davies gig after all, I suddenly got all the signs that my remaining good retina was about to detach once more. Having just got over another angioplasty where yet another tube was inserted in a coronary artery, and still suffering from sore throat and a cough to kill for, this was the last thing I needed.

Timo (Yes that is the correct way to spell it, he reminds me) got back to his hotel okay the other night. He is in Spain now but is threatening to come back to London this weekend and is asking if there is anything on blueswise.

Did a duo gig with Gordon Smith in Fulham last night. Gordon tells me he is going to do some more recording for Mike Vernon, who is re-releasing Gordon’s Blue Horizon albums. The gig went fine as usual, with both of us sharing the vocals and Gordon managing to include a couple of guitar instrumentals in his classy style. He is so easy to work with, though normally I dislike duo work.